If you study economics, management or ecology you will be interested in learning how these different fields can be merged into one interdisciplinary research project.

Researchers and professors

Join the conversation to share your knowledge and expertise with one of the leading experts in the field of circular economy.

Professionals

Are you active in the fields of circular economy, environmental policies or urban studies? You will be excited to learn how Cradle-to-Cradle principles are implemented in practice.

The wider public

Do you think that individuals can make a difference in this era of ecological imbalance and economic threats? Come to the lecture to hear how science, technology and community can join forces to overcome the challenge.

About the lecture

Lecture will be in English without translation

The transition towards a more resource-efficient society that has a resilient resource supply is a core goal of governments in Europe and worldwide. The European Commission recently adopted an ambitious new Circular Economy Package to boost competitiveness, create jobs and generate sustainable growth.

Circular economy comprises an integral approach to a resource efficient future, necessitating cooperation of all stakeholders along the value chain. To achieve this, the further development of circular, service-oriented business is especially promising and will be the focus of the proposed research. This links product and service design, supply chain management, manufacturing technologies, product and service use, product treatment at end-of-life, and business models and strategies such as portfolio management and branding. Simultaneously, economic, societal and environmental aspects must be taken into account. To understand and optimally exploit the potential of a Circular Economy, not only advances in the above-mentioned fields are needed, but also above all mutual understanding and interaction between the disciplines involved.

Key questions to be addressed in the lecture

What does the global patterns of material flows look like and how big is the 'circularity gap'?

What strategies can be deployed to keep substances in closed loops and minimize primary resource use?

What innovative business models can be used to support the closure of substance chains and how can business become more competitive with them?

Arnold Tukker is since 1 October 2013 the Professor of Industrial Ecology and Scientific director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) at Leiden University for 70% of his time. He retains a 30% position as senior researcher at TNO, a large Dutch not for profit research organisations. Arnold set up prominent EU projects in the field of sustainable product design (SusProNet) and sustainable consumption and production (SCORE!) and was core member of the 10 Million Euro Dutch Knowledge Network on Sustainable System Innovations. He currently co-ordinates a string of major programs of some 15 million Euro with some 20 key European research institutes in the field of resource-efficiency, a.o. constructing world's most ambitious and detailed global energy/resource/economic input-output databases and models (EXIOBASE). He further set up with 6 partner universities an EU Marie Curie Innovative Training Network of 15 PhDs researching the circular economy (Circ€uit). He authored 6 books, about 70 refereed papers and 7 special issues on sustainability research. He has been engaged with work of the UN on the Green Economy Initiative, the Resources Panel, the Ten Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production, and Sustainable Development Goals.